cilantro lime coconut

baby, it's cold outside

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:43:00 +0000

after xmas in ny, new year's in st. louis, i'm in denver now, in disbelief that i've been out of thailand for 5 weeks already. and i'm also realizing that my body's too used to tropical climates. i've heard that so much has happened in our ministry in thailand in just these past weeks - a friend's father passed, a husband came to faith, the largest/unified evangelistic event thailand has ever witnessed happened over christmas.

well, things have been happening in the US, too - and here in quick blurb form (because i'm tired and really, really have to go to sleep).

new york: even aside from my sister and her family living in manhattan, i'm convinced there's no better place to spend christmas. as cliche as it sounds, it's totally magical - the snow, the holiday markets, the trees, the christmas chorales (i know adore episcopalians). bryant park (my favorite park in ny) sets up a ice rink and market. it's stunning to have such a quaint little park in the middle of beautifully designed old and new buildings.

new york's always fun for the arts and foooooood. here's pauline over dessert at the modern in the moma. this manjari chocolate palet with tahitian vanilla cremeux and orange cacao arabasque tuile (how's that for pretentious? i totally had to look up the modern's menu to get the name again. i was just calling it "a chocolate cake-ish, candy-bar-shaped thing with ice cream") was the best chocolate dessert i have ever had, by far. i've never had such balanced opulent, yet clean chocolate. i also have to give a plug for the fantastic dirler-cade pinot gris. beautifully done.

amelia, my first and only niece, at 1.5 is scarily good at using the iphone and computer(she actually knows what she's doing), to the chagrin of her parents. she actually sits in front of the computer for hours on end watching videos of herself, browsing pictures of herself and blasting itunes. is it sad that i've been surpassed by a baby?

this year, i went to the urbana missions conference in st.louis for the first time and had a chance to do a little teaching, meet students, and dink around with other field staff. it's surprisingly energizing and inspiring to be around passionate and motivated college students. and, i felt totally challenged to step-up my prayer life. god's big! oh, and how many chances do you get to ring in the new year with 17,000 people? (a: once every three years)

and now? goals for denver: take casa bonita by storm, grill some steaks, take a silent retreat, tour some breweries, meet with sp senior staff and spend time a ton of time with my brother and friends until we puke. gag reflex don't fail me now!

chinese has the best engrish of all!

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:38:00 +0000

it's been so long since i put anything up. don't blame me; blame china. they block everything. anyhow, this one's gotta be quick, but i had to post my tribute to china's incomparable engrish.

did you just call me a chong chong? (found in a bathroom stall)

good thing there's a toilet for freaks. chinese people are SO thoughtful!

geez, grass, you can be soooooo high maintenance sometimes.

quick! we need to exting atsh this fire!

so, do you come here to eat dumplings or come here after you eat dumplings?

we built this house on rock and roll!

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:50:00 +0000

check out this video of our slum church's recent house building project for some members upcountry. you can watch the before video here, too.

i vant to suck your betelnut!

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:10:00 +0000

remember halloween as a kid and how cool those faux blood capsules were?

imagine that almost every old, thai lady looks like she chews them constantly with a pair of those fake, mangled teeth. that's what the betelnut effect looks like. check out ba muy when we all squished in the back of a taxi together (she has even less teeth now):

i've been wanting to try chewing it for a while just to know what it tastes like. it seems like it's gotta be pretty good if so many people are willing to look so zombie-esque chewing it and it's supposedly hot in japan now. i figured it was my destiny to try some while i was upcountry with our house building project and a neighbor offered me some.

first off, it's a little bit of a process. you crack open the betelnut and start chewing it until it becomes like a paste. then, you spread some red stuff (i have no idea what it is) on a leaf and chew it all together. kinda like chewing tobacco, you have to spit out the juice.

turns out that betelnut tastes pretty sick. it made my tongue feel all tingly and tastes exactly like what i imagine "hot mess" to taste like, only imagine that hot mess was stored in the pocket of a homeless man, rolled around in bitterness, and then juiced. i literally scraped my tongue with my fingernails after.

here's me chewing it. believe me, this is hot in japan.

tickets are bought!

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:54:00 +0000

my first flights to the us are confirmed through january!

dec 18 - beijing to new york

dec 27 - ny to st. louis for urbana

jan 1 - st. louis to denver

jan 19 - denver to la

east coast plans tba...

bubbe, look what i made!

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:20:00 +0000

i cured and smoked pastrami! sandwiches slathered with mustard on the sleeper train up to chiang mai just before consumption. worth the 6 months of dreaming and planning. i was up until 6am thursday night (fri morn) smoking pastrami and making a video for our upcoming home-building project.
bleary-eyed the next day, lexie was chastising me at the office expressing her concern for my sanity and time management, which, i fully admitted and accepted. but sara proffered, "i'm not sure if it's a problem of time management or a problem of love of meat." yeah, i fully accepted that, too.

it doesn't help that i live in thailand. our thai foundation staff, kaew, asked us what we were laughing so hard at and when told that i was up until 6 smoking meat, she gave me a proud look and a hearty thumbs up. thais and i mututally understand that food is the greatest priority.

ok, i do have to say, not the best pastrami (too salty, a little dry), but i have an idea of how to improve it, and definitely not bad for a first try. the precedence has been broken open for smoking other meats in the future, too.

i made the smoker out of a layered steamer pot with coal and fresh-cut tamarind branches on the bottom for smoke, and two layers above, my cured and dry-rubbed brisket sat on a janky wire mesh that i made from a dismantled wire scooper. with the help of some thai friends and 5 hrs later, i had my pastrami.

extreme makeover: sisaket 2009

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:49:00 +0000

about a month ago, we first had the idea to gather people together to fix jin and pawn's parents' house upcountry (in sisaket). though we're planning to build a permanent, stable house in october 2010, we're getting a group of volunteers together this year as emergency relief so that in this coming year, they'll be safe and housed.

can i tell you, this has been one of the most exciting things that has been happening. it is amazing to see the amount of support and unity this is bringing to our slum church as well as from organizations and the wider church in bangkok.
our poor slum church members are eagerly donating their time, their construction know-how, their tools, their cooking abilities, their dry wall, a door here and there, it's been amazing to see how a church we've been hoping to see unified is coming together to help out the family of some of its members.
other orgs and churches are supporting via volunteers, capital, and publicity.

but i think my favorite thing has been seeing how people are growing as leaders. as strange as it may seem, this actually is adding to the excitement and momentum of our service and work in our own slum community in bangkok rather than pulling peoples' attention away. and it's been surprising to see how god is giving us the same heart in this. on thursday, our team met to discuss how this house building project could be a blessing to the sisaket community and to help grow our leaders and that later that night, pawn, unbeknownst to that conversation, said to us, "you know, i'm not even thinking about the house really. i want this to be a mission project to our village and how we can bless the people there. how can we do that?" and to think, pawn had just told me in july that she was feeling listless and wanted to take on less leadership and responsibilities.

go. love. build.
oct 7-14.

my alma mater

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:49:00 +0000

in case anyone had any doubts that johns hopkins wasn't the geekiest college, this just proves it.

light or dark?

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:44:00 +0000

when i went to a popeye's chicken in new orleans, my order went something like this:
me: can i have the 2-piece chicken combo?
cashier: my or spy?
me: what?
cashier: myyyyy or spyyyce?
me: oh! mild or spicy! spicy.
cashier: ly or da?
me: what?
cashier: lyyy or dahk?
me: oh! light or dark! dark.

i have to admit, that actually has nothing to do with this post, but i can't help but think about chicken when talking about light and dark. onto the meat...

never before in my life have i felt such an acute sense of battle between light and dark. in our church and our community, issue after issue is opening up revealing light and darkness.

light: 6 new believers in one month as they recognize jesus' love and redemption for them.
dark: over a year of financial mismanagement of church and offering funds by church leaders revealed.
light: church members feel stirred to serve the community and initiate regular prayer walking and conversation around the community.
dark: three people are shot in front of the community center at 3am, most likely over drug deals. neighbor after neighbor are arrested for drug use and dealing - most come as a surprise to me.
light: neighbors stop by house church and the church engages with them and pray for them. two people we prayed for last year tell us this month that god himself healed them. who is this god?
dark: a couple, high on drugs, beats their 3-month old baby to death, then throw the body in the swamp. neighbors and kids find the baby's body. this is possibly the most grievous act neighbors have witnessed and the need for change is palpable.
light: i meet a woman who has just arrived in bangkok and does training in community-based child protection. how timely.
dark: my thai mom, ba jaew, privately tells me more details of just how deep and wide this drug problem is. did i know that the old seamstress is a dealer? did i know my 12-year old neighbor's mom and brother were thrown in jail?
light: rather than feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of drug use/dealing in our community (like i usually do), i think god is actually leading us to address this now and am excited for how he'll work it out. i come home and talk to my teammate, lexie, who coincidentally had the same thought at the same time.

likes: chicken, dark. community, light.

photo by joshbousel

embarkation

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:32:00 +0000

what do you get when you add:
salt, pink salt, coriander seed, peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar, mustard, cardamom and bay leaves?

2 weeks of hoping that it makes your pastrami and corned beef taste good.
after trimming fat off my brisket for an hour, my pastrami and corned beef are buoyantly brining and awaiting their (respective) smoking and boiling in two weeks. now for assembling my smoker...

with a fixed gaze

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:46:00 +0000

hazael went to see elisha to inquire whether the king of aram would recover from his illness.

elisha answered, "go and say to him, 'you will surely recovery; but the lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.'" he stared at him with a fixed gaze until hazael felt ashamed. then the man of god began to weep.
"why is my lord weeping?" asked hazael.
"because i know the harm you will do to the israelites," he answered.

our church is dealing with the recent revelation of financial mismanagement. i can't stop thinking about what this says about our discipleship. what do you do with the knowledge of such brokenness?

a consideration of ants

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:34:00 +0000

i hate ants.
i've never run across so many different types of ants before moving to asia: red fire ants, big black ants, little ants that smell like permanent marker when you squish them, etc. but there is something undeniably beautiful about ants and their communication and collective effort.

phriendly phaces of the philippines

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:31:00 +0000

you may wonder if i'm posting all these photos because i'm showing off. you're absolutely right. i'm trying to make you jealous so that you'll be tricked-- i mean want to vacation with me next time. you're feeling veeeeeerrrrry sleepy...

this is completely just to show that my life isn't all vacation. 8 days in manila teaching on team building, spiritual disciplines, character development and luke for SP's GUTS (global urban training school). our training base in quezon city.ema and zach, staff in manila (zach by default because he's pretty useless at this point. kids! pffftt!)claire and her mom cora. claire is serenading me with a song she wrote when her family was going through uncertain times, like when their house was almost washed away by flashfloods. ate cora is the sweetest, most faithful woman. i stayed a friend of a friend's house in salvacion on the island of palawan. her family's second house is on a brackish inlet of the south china sea flanked by mangrove trees.could you imagine a more beautiful sunset?the subterranean river! you take a little boat into a deep cave for about 1.5km and marvel at the rock formations that look like corn and the holy family and a "sexy lady" called sharon stone. just don't open your mouth - you may get pooped on by one of the thousands of bats. one did its dirty business on my hand. i'll never wash this hand again...giant limestone formations jutting above verdant rice paddy fields. this pic doesn't do the green justice. so, did i succeed? are you coming with me next time?

proofreading

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 03:30:00 +0000

i took my aisle seat between one large filipino man across the aisle and an older filipino man in the seat beside me discussing seat preferences. i asked if they wanted to switch seats to which the older man replied, "oh no, i like sitting next to you better, anyway."
i thought, "what a cute, old man."
we started chatting and he was unsure of how to stow his carry-on since there were important documents and he argued a bit with the flight attendant and confessed to me, "i don't fly that much."
so, i revised my thought, "what a poor, old man."
he randomly went off on what a nice person i was and how hard it is to find friendly people. i was a little puzzled because we hadn't really talked that much,
but i figured, "what a sweet, old man."
not actually feeling that friendly, i started getting out the in-flight magazine so he would maybe not talk to me. he noticed my passport in my travel book and asked if he could look at it and though i was a little wary, i thought, "sure, what could hurt? he seems sweet enough." he told me he was from chicago and asked what i did and i told him that i work with slum communities and he said, "oh, we do the same thing" and did i know he's a close personal friend of barack obama? i wasn't really sure what the "same thing" was. by the way, he noted, we're at 15,000 ft.
"oh," i thought, "what a knowledgeable, old man."
he asked me, since we do the same work, if i could perhaps be a consultant in their work to which i felt flattered, but again confused. i hadn't even told him what i do. he spouted off more on how i am great and did i know that? could i say that?
i said, "uh, sure, i guess."
"ok, can you say it?"
"oh, you mean right now. uhh...ok. i am great."
"you should know that." i can't really think of why he would think i'm great. he doesn't know anything about me.
so, scratch that last thought. "what an unusual, senile old man."
and he goes on telling me what "great" means: g is for genes, r is for respect, e education...and i wonder if he's one of those firm believers in motivational speeches and calendars. "...what's your father's name?" he asks. i feel uncomfortable giving him more personal info and make up a name. i have a sudden fear flash that perhaps he's a con and oh my gosh he just looked at my passport. he goes on telling me about the fat man across the aisle and that the fat man is his rich boss from japan who gives a truckload of money to the poor. funny, i think considering the fat man looks like the most filipino-looking person around us. he owns tuna factories in osaka and has a bank and so many businesses - oh, but he's humble! i am now certain this man is senile or funny in the head. he gets out a piece of paper and starts writing:

i am GREAT!

my name is: dr. alfred paul

my address is: osaka, japan

my bank is: mitsubishi

what does anything on that paper mean? does he expect me to write my name, address, and bank, too? things don't add up - he's from chicago but hasn't flown much? he's worked in community development but calls my occupation a title with a completely opposite meaning.
oh no, scratch all previous thoughts. i think, "what an old, con man."
now the fat man takes over and talks to me. he's mitsubishi but i can call him mits. he tells me that he's really rich and he gives money to the poor. did i know he's on his way to support a home for the aged? i can't really believe anything he's telling me and besides, my mind is racing usual-suspects-style thinking back on the whole flight going through the pieces of personal information they have gathered. mits asks for my contact info and i scribble a defunct email and spell my name incorrectly.
i thank god we've landed and i vow to google this pair on the off-chance i'm wrong and b-line it as far as possible away from them. because, though this last read is perhaps the best, it's not the one i like.

pinoy naming

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:19:00 +0000

i've been in manila, philippines for the last week teaching for SP's global urban training school (our version of orientation) and i just love filipinos' names.

best restaurants:
kiss - king of balls
jumbo japs
flavors of negros (relax, negros is a place in the philippines. though i kind of wish it were soul food.)
kids' names:
windy (for those gassy babies)
baby ruth (nobody puts baby in the corner!)
jennifer (for a boy; and yes, he does get made fun of.)
aileen (also for a boy)
princess anakin (women's suffrage for the dark side!)

another insufferable slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:59:00 +0000

wanna see some random pictures from the past month?

no? get OUT!
yes? read on, friend.

grand palace in bangkok. taken by dad. grand looking, eh? there really is nothing like it.
friends and kids playing games after house church.
the swampy lake at the north end of our community. it looks like a field, but it's not. it's all marshy plants over water. i think it's beautiful. jin being harassed by her niece, kem. cuteness is such a open door to naughtiness.megan, tina, puppet, and me at joe louis puppet theater (not the boxer). how can you tell that puppet's a monkey and not a demon? it's barefoot. (that's for real).

what is that rash?

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:21:00 +0000

people are always wondering what's wrong with me when they see my eczema. i figured i'd look up how to say it in thai. apparently it's this:
+

that's right. deer leprosy. i'm a deer leper.

i'm not telling people that. but, on the positive side, deer leper's a great band name if i ever start one up.
by the way, while looking for deer pics online, i found this gem of a site: DIY deer butt art.

the mighty toaster oven

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +0000

pre-bangkok, i had a heavy bias towards cooking over baking. baking required too much measuring, was too inflexible, and i could always buy something better than anything i could make for reasonable prices. now that i'm living in asia and am not a huge fan of the margarine-laden, eggy pastries, i've put my 2nd-hand toaster oven to work. so, presenting...three of my favorite baking endeavors in the last couple months.

brandied plum chocolate cupcakes
12 servings.3/4 lb. soft-pack pitted prunes, cut into raisin-size pieces
1/3 c. brandy
3 Tbsp sugar
9 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
5 Tbsp brandy
2 tsp instant coffee powder
14 Tbsp. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened.
3/4 c sugar
14 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground allspice
5 eggs, separated, room temperature
pinch of salt
pinch of baking powder
1/4 c sugar (yes, more sugar)

combine prunes, 1/3 cup brandy and 3 Tbsp sugar in heavy small saucepan. bring to simmer, stirring constantly. remove from heat. cover and let steep.

melt chocolate with 5 Tbsp brandy and coffee powder in heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. whisk in softened butter (softened butter helps shorten the stove time. too long of a cook-time makes the chocolate lumpy). mix in 3/4 cup sugar, flour, cinnamon and allspice. blend in yolks. set aside mixture to cool slightly.

preheat oven to 350 degrees. (if using cupcake tins, butter and dust with flour. i prefer using silicone cupcake cases which require no work. if you're going for a larger cake, make sure it's a bundt for even baking). beat whites, salt and baking powder until soft peaks form. add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, and beat until almost stiff but not dry. whisk chocolate mixture to loosen. gently fold in egg whites. gently fold in brandied prunes.

pour batter into cupcake cases (or mini bundt tins!). bake until center is firm to touch and a toothpick inserted into center comes out cleanly, about 1 hour. cool for a half-hour. invert onto rack and cool completely. to store, wrap tightly and let stand at room temperature overnight.

dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve.

my thoughts: i got the idea because the combo of prune and chocolate seems so trendy and i wanted to see what all the fuss is about. these are so ludicrously decadent; the prune adds to the richness of chocolate and the amount of butter speaks for itself. also, notice how i didn't use the word "prune" in the title? it's because everyone i told that i made "chocolate prune cupcakes" was like, "oh. that should be...interesting."

tea scones with lemongrass lime curd
about 10 scones
2-5 Tbsp buttermilk (make your own buttermilk: 1 Tbsp vinegar in 1 c milk)
1 3/4 c self-rising flour
pinch salt
5 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp milk

lemongrass lime curd:
3 eggs
1 Tbsp finely shredded lime zest
1/3 c fresh lime juice
2 stalks lemongrass, crushed, sliced into 2 inch pieces.
3/4 c sugar
4 Tbsp butter, softened

preheat oven to 425.
dump the flour and salt into a bowl, and, using your hands, rub the butter into the mixture. mix in sugar. separately, beat the egg and 2 Tbsp of the buttermilk then add to the dough with your hands – it should be playdoh-y but not sticky (if the dough seems too dry, add a little more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time).

form the dough into a ball, roll it into a circle on a non-stick surface, re-fold, and re-roll a couple times for layers. in the final rollout, roll dough into a circle about 3/4 - 1 inch thick (the secret of well-risen scones is their thickness). cut out the scones by biscuit/cookie cutter or into triangles with a knife. keep the edges rough, don't smooth off the cut sides because it looks prettier. ball the trimmings back together to roll out again until you can cut out the last scone.

flour the bottom of the scones and plop on a non-stick or parchment papered baking tray, brush tops with the egg wash. bake for 10-15 minutes, or until they are well-risen and crusty, then stick them in the broiler for 10 or so seconds to brown the tops. transfer to a wire rack to cool.

lemongrass lime curd: cream butter and sugar. beat in eggs (beating in eggs before cooking eliminates clumpiness). mix in the lime juice. throw in lemongrass. cook in a heavy saucepan over low heat, constantly stirring until it resembles a thickness of hollandaise sauce. remove from heat, pick out lemongrass and add lime zest. refrigerate up to 1 week.

my thoughts: we held a scone competition after having a super overpriced afternoon tea at a hotel over easter. this was my favorite recipe out of a couple i tried because of the crustiness and subtle sweetness. i also experimented with a couple flavors of scones (like almond, etc.), but the plain ones were by far the best tasting. so, for the creative piece, i threw in the lemongrass lime curd.

red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and pecan praline
makes about 2 dozen
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk (again, the 1 Tbsp in 1 c milk is perfect)
2 eggs
red food coloring (however red you want it)
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

cream cheese frosting:
8 oz cold cream cheese
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 c powdered sugar

pecan praline:
1 c sugar
1/4 c water
1 c pecan halves, toasted

preheat oven to 350. combine all dry ingredients and set aside. combine wet ingredients and whisk dry into wet.
bake for 40 min. cool on a rack for a couple hours.

cream cheese frosting: there is no good frosting that is not cream cheese frosting. combine softened butter and powdered sugar as best as possible. add cream cheese as cold as possible and combine. if it gets too warm, the icing will be to runny. refrigerate immediately.

pecan praline: spread wax paper over a baking sheet. combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan over a medium simmer for 15 minutes without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. remove from heat, stir in pecans. pour mixture onto baking sheet. let cool and then chop into little bits.

frost your cupcakes, bejewel with pecan praline and serve.
my thoughts: i made mine into american flags for 4th of july. they turned out a little salvador-dali-meets-food-party-with-thu-tran. i'm bummed the pic turned out so overexposed. anyhow, red velvet is my #3 favorite cake of all time after chocolate zucchini and carrot. this recipe turned out be SUPER moist and goes perfectly with the cream cheese frosting. i made this twice in 3 days.

favorite child

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:53:00 +0000

in return of the prodigal son, nouwen poses the idea that god has a limitless number of favorites; that he's able to simultaneously favor all of us.

could it be true? rembrandt's return of the prodigal son

dad is rad

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:06:00 +0000

my dad called on wednesday and showed up on thursday after having to cancel plans to travel to china. and i just think, "oh how i love my dad; let me count the ways..."

i like that everyone says that we look alike
i like having a 68 year-old shadow
i like that my dad is so chatty with anyone, regardless of language comprehensibility
i like that my dad's so flexible: even sleeping on the floor in my house and up for everything
i like that my dad is so happy
i like that my dad has big cheeks
i like that my dad teaches me about god
i like having breakfast with my dad
i like that my dad takes a boatload of photos of random things and whose composition style is like no one else's
i like that my dad is so smart
i like that my dad is heremy neighbor, dta bang (left), who my mom thinks looks like my dad, with my dad.

life on the small screen

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:42:00 +0000

urbana, the missions conference, recently came to film our team to promote the conference this coming december. here's the video they made of us.

my kind o' cooking show

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:30:00 +0000

i'm going to try this recipe next. good thing "8 seconds of sugar" is easy to find here.

and, unfortunately, this looks like my actual dating life.

you can find these two videos and so many more treats at:
http://www.ifc.com/food-party/video.php

one night in bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:55:00 +0000

"...the crem de la crem of the chess world in a show with everything, but yul brynner."
by the way, to all those who haven't visited bangkok, yet. this is exactly what bangkok is like.

disclaimer: no thais were harmed in the making of this video.
thank you, megan, for this enlightenment. the musical "chess" is next on my list of must-sees.

meeting minutes - may 28, 14:40

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:33:00 +0000

engrish

noreply@blogger.com (h. michelle kao) — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:54:00 +0000

this isn't so much faulty english, just more of a huh?!?!
is this the place moustache's go where everyone knows their name?
maybe it's this: sometimes, i wish i were a man just so i could build facial hair sculptures.this makes me suspicious. why do you have "police dog" coffee? do you also have "swallow-a-balloon-full-of" coffee?